To control Derius’s power, his Words of Power were required.
And to discover them, the Empire had used countless people as test subjects.
CRACKLE!
“Betern… Deen….”
Even Wirn did not know how they had discovered those Words of Power.
It had been one of the Emperor’s secret orders.
“Bubertun.”
But one thing was certain.
The moment those Words of Power were finally completed was the day the hound had been fitted with a leash it could never break.
That was why Wirn repeated the Words of Power they had uttered.
RUMBLE!
Lightning flickered within the darkness.
It was not Wirn’s.
The power of the great mage remaining in the stone was revealing itself through the Words of Power.
RUMBLE!
And the power pouring from that lightning surged mercilessly into the body of the one speaking the Words of Power.
“Ghhhk!”
His single Circle had been completely emptied.
Now another person’s mana began filling it.
The power of a mage whose name had been recorded in history, and who had engraved his power into a stone even after death.
That power rode along Wirn’s Darkness and entered his Circle.
―HUUUM!
The power was so overwhelming that even the Mark on the back of his hand could not interfere with it.
Unlike before, it did not open its mouth.
Instead, it blocked the path and fortified itself with its own power.
“Come in… all of it!”
Wirn did not merely throw the gate wide open.
He shattered it entirely.
To accept that power, he opened everything.
FLASH!
A faint blue light began to surround his body.
As his Circle filled, mana began flowing back outside.
That was only natural when he possessed just one Circle.
Grin.
This much was already enough.
With this alone, Wirn’s realm had already made dazzling progress.
He had absorbed the power of someone whose name had been recorded in history, someone even his previous-life self had never managed to surpass.
‘Not enough.’
But Wirn was not someone who would be satisfied here.
If there was food in front of a hound, it would force it down even if it choked.
There was no guarantee an opportunity like this would ever come again.
‘It’s not enough.’
Besides, if he failed to absorb all this power, it would take longer to achieve his revenge.
That was not the result Wirn wanted.
―HUUUUM!
So he thought of a solution.
If there was no room for another guest, then he could simply build another room beside the first.
“Ghhhh!”
The Circle filled with the great mage’s power began rotating fiercely according to Wirn’s will.
“Ghk…!”
Then a spherical structure formed immediately to its right.
It was the same size as his existing Circle and served the same function.
In other words, a second Circle was formed from that power.
HUM!
At that moment, the power scattering outward changed direction.
It headed not toward the Darkness, but toward a second place where it could take root anew.
GRRRK!
When the power that had flowed out rushed back inside, blood burst from Wirn’s mouth.
It was the price for recklessly creating a second Circle.
“Haa… hah!”
But he could not stop.
If he did now, the accumulated power would explode outward.
And Wirn’s body would meet the same fate.
‘If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve prepared at least one Elixir potion.’
The pain of muscles tearing throughout his body and bones twisting sent sharp jolts through his head.
If he had possessed a High-Grade Elixir potion, it would surely have eased some of the pain.
“Ghhhh!”
The brief regret crossed his mind, but Wirn did not dwell on it.
There was no point trying to gather spilled water.
―HUM!
Besides, did he not already have something excellent that could substitute for an Elixir?
‘Open your damn mouth too, you bastard!’
Wirn guided the surging power toward the back of his right hand.
No.
More precisely, he was luring it there.
As though telling it that there were not one, but two comfortable homes waiting for it.
CRACKLE!
And his intention reached the power perfectly.
Some of it charged violently toward the Mark that was completely blocking the path.
―HUUUM!
At last, it seeped mercilessly into the Mark itself.
But no voice came from it.
It might have possessed a mouth that devoured magic, but it had nothing resembling vocal cords.
“Heh.”
Wirn gave a cold smile as he watched the Mark wildly spew black light.
‘I’ll make a path.’
Then he began the process of rooting his second Circle.
It was to settle the violent mage’s power into his body.
More precisely, it was to prevent that power from escaping elsewhere.
CRACK! CRACKLE!
The aftermath caused fractures in the bones near his Circle.
Agony beyond description assaulted Wirn.
“Ghhhk!”
But Wirn did not stop.
Derius’s power would take the place of those shattered bones.
In fact, his power was already settling into the places where the bones had broken.
‘…Done.’
After a short while, the second Circle was finally complete.
The sound of two spheres rotating proved it.
Gulp.
But there was still more to do.
‘I can’t give up that Darkness.’
The Darkness that had completely swallowed the center of the gorge.
Leaving it there was unthinkable.
That power belonged to Wirn as well.
No.
Strictly speaking, that Darkness was practically a symbol of Wirn himself.
“Haa….”
His whole body had already been reduced to a wreck.
But to reclaim that Darkness, he would have to stake his life once again.
What that meant was simple.
‘I’m going to create two Circles at once… If Kemen were beside me, he’d probably smash my head in with a hammer.’
From the First Circle to the Third Circle.
From a borderline mage who could barely handle magic to the realm of those who had stepped into the domain of talent.
He had to cross that entire distance in a single leap.
‘I can do it.’
If anyone else heard his plan, they would undoubtedly call him insane.
Creating even one Circle at a time was dangerous.
Yet he intended to form two Circles consecutively?
That was something not even an ignorant barbarian, let alone a mage, would attempt.
―HUM….
―HUM….
But Wirn was different.
He had been chosen as a greedy hound, and in the end had become a set of sharp fangs feared even by the Emperor of the Empire.
“…Haa.”
There was no chance he would stop merely because everyone else would try to dissuade him.
Rustle….
“Devour it.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the Darkness spread throughout the gorge surged violently.
…!
At the same time, a tremendous roar echoed through the gorge.
But there was no one there to hear it.
***
Began had changed.
More precisely, it had begun after he carried out a mission together with Wirn.
‘I need to work harder.’
At the time, Began had witnessed Wirn’s Darkness and felt chills run through him.
Wirn had been controlling an abyss on an entirely different level from what he had shown during the previous Hunting Ceremony.
WHOOSH!
Remembering that moment, Began sent the wind surging forward.
CRASH—!
The wind spun like a vortex and tore a massive wall to shreds.
“Excellent, Young Master!”
“Your skills improve with each passing day.”
“At this level, I believe you could handle a solo mission.”
The others using the same training ground as Began exclaimed in admiration.
Among them were also mages who had participated in the mission with him.
“A solo mission….”
A solo mission required one person to handle everything from beginning to end alone.
‘You could say the real succession competition begins from there.’
Began was also gritting his teeth and working hard so he could receive one.
However, a solo mission was not the sole driving force behind all his efforts.
“Still no news about Wirn?”
The youngest of the Daylin Family, who always acted in ways no one could predict.
Showing that bastard the dignity of an older brother was also one of Began’s reasons for becoming stronger.
“That… I’m afraid it will be difficult to find out.”
“The Chief Elder assigned him a secret mission.”
That was why, from the moment Wirn left, Began had tried every possible way to gather information about him.
But the veil of the Chief Elder’s secret mission stood in the way.
Even Began could not find out where Wirn was or what he was doing.
“…He isn’t going to come back even stronger, is he?”
Perhaps because of that thought, goosebumps rose across Began’s skin for reasons he could not explain.
Wirn had always shown a growth rate no one else could match.
‘He still only has one Circle, though.’
The only thing Began could still hold over Wirn was the difference in the number of Circles.
But even that was something Wirn had never treated as important.
‘Right. He said he only had one… for now.’
Began remembered clearly the answer Wirn had given when asked how many Circles he possessed.
And the complete lack of impatience on his face.
Tap, tap, tap!
At that moment, a mage came rushing frantically into the training ground where Began was.
“Young Master! Young Master Wirn has returned!”
Then he delivered the news that Wirn was back.
“…Then why are you sweating so much?”
Began’s eyes widened.
At the same time, he found it strange.
Sweat was streaming down the man’s forehead like water.
Just as Began was about to ask what had happened—
“Well….”
The mage began speaking in a restless voice.
“Lady Ean is forcibly holding Young Master Wirn at the entrance.”
“…What?”
At those words, Began’s mouth fell open helplessly.